Photo Of The Week

December 15, 2010

(Scott Smeltzer )

Your job is to illuminate the human condition. That was the mantra of my college photojournalism professor. How does one do that? By being party to and documenting pivotal moments in people's lives. That is what we do. We have a front row seat to the high points and low points of the lives that we cover.

Memorial services are one of the most difficult things photojournalists cover, not necessarily because of their somber nature, but more as a result of the great responsibility we have to the family and the deceased. An assignment like this requires tact and caring and when a moment like this is captured it not only honors the deceased, but the love and pain felt by those left behind. Simply put, it illuminates the human condition.